Panel board



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July 29 1924.,

H. L. VAN VALKENBURG PANEL BOARD 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 14 1922 ENI.,

@yawn/MM Patented July 29, 1924.

UNITED STATES HERMON L. VAN VALKENBURG, 0F MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

PANEL BGARD.

Application filed October 14, 1922. Serial No. 594,472.-

To all whom it may con/cem:

Be a known that I, HMM-0N L. VAN' ALKENBURG, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Milwaukee, in the count of Milwaukee and State of`Wisconsin,y are invented a certain new and usefull Improvemen-t inPanel Boards, of which the following is a specilication.

My invention relates to panelboards for electric distribution and thegeneral object of the invention is to provide a sectional constructionin vwhich the units are simple and compact in form and can be readilyassembled and erected. One of the contributory objects of the inventionis to provide a unit having a base block and a cover block separated bya parting sheet of semi-flexible insulating material such as breboard,the base Ibars being located on one side of this sheet and .the screwsockets and their connecting strips chiefly on the opposite side.Another contributory object is to provide a physical interlock betweenthe cross connector strips and the parting sheet whereby fasteningdevices may be dispensed with `and -the connector strips may be held inposition'by merely inserting them in the parting sheet in the propermanner. Still another object is to lprovide a construction such thatwhen the cross connector strips are secured to the 'base block they willhold the parting sheet in position on said base block. Still anotherobject is to provide simple and eicient means for holding the coverblock in place. Subsidiary objects will become apparent as thedescription proceeds.

I accomplish my objects by the construction illustrated in theaccompanying drawin whichigure 1 is a front elevation of a panelboardcomposed of two sectional units. In the up er unit the cover is in placewhile in the ower unit it is absent. I have also shown the `bus bars inplace and lugs rby which the bars may be connected t0 a source ofelectric energy.

Figure 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a sectional view ou` the line 4 4 Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the base block from the frontthereof.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the-part.-

ing sheet and one of the connector strips whilph is interlocked orinter-engaged therewit Figure 7 is a perspective view of a companionconnector strip. Figure 8 is a perspective view looking toward the innerside of the cover block.

Like numerals denote like parts throughout the several views.

adapted for a three-wire system, and in this case the base blocks willhave three parallel channels, 5, 6, 7, which are usuall vertical whenthe apparatus is installed. ese are for the accommodation of the 'busbars 10, which connect to the source of supply b means oflugs 12 orotherwise.

In front of the base block there is apartin sheet 15 which is continuousin the sense o being integral and being co-extensive with the greaterportion of the area of the unit.` Bypreference it is semi-flexible andcomposed of ibreboard or similar material. It

as two sets of apertures 17 for receiving the prongs 18 of the connectorstrips 19. It also has apertures 20 for receiving the prongs 21 of theconnector strips 22. The connector strips 19, 22 are arrangedtransversely and occur in pairs, along and a short, and for the sake ofidentification they may be referred to as the short and the longconductor strips. At the outer end each conductor strip has a terminalelement 25 which seats in one of the pockets 26 formed at the lateralmargins of the base block. Both the terminal elements and the block areapertured to receive bolts 27 Vwhich hold the parts assembled and serveas binding posts for making electric connection with the lu 28,

which connect with the consum tion circuit conductors 29. These latterleaway from "the board in the usual manner. The prongs and prevent it frommoving in any direction. Each of the connector strips 19, 22 is providedwith a screw socket 32, which is of conductive material and adapted toreceive the outer screw threaded contact element 33 of a fuse plug 34.Fuse plugs are well,- known devices and hence need not be describedfurther than to say that they also have center contacts 36 for engagingthe b'us bars in the manner best shownl in Figures 2 and 3.

The parting sheet has apertures 38, whlch are concentric'with the screwsockets and lie in front of the bus bars so that when a fuse plug isinserted the center contact may directly engage the basebarbehind it:According to the developed form of the invention the channels 5, 6, 7are deeper than the thickness of the bus bars, the result being thatwhen the bars 'are seated in the bottom .of the channels, as illustrated1n Flgures 2, 3, there will be an appreciable space between the partingsheet and the bar. The result is that in order for the center contact 36of the fuse plug to reach the bus bar, the part ing sheet must bedistorted to a certain extent, as illustrated in Fi ure 3 and at theright end of Figure 2. ne of the advantages of this is that the pressureof the parting sheet upon the inner end of the fuse plug creates anappreciable amount of friction, which tends to prevent the fuse plugfrom rotating. This insures :against the` plug becoming accidentallyunscrewed from the socket in case the panelboard is mounted in anindustrial building or other place where there is a considerable amountof vibration.

The cover block 2 has apertures 40 for accommodating the screw socketsand it is desirable that the thickness of the cover block be such as tobring the insulating material further forward than the top of the screwsockets, thus guarding the operator from accidentally touching thesockets. In the design .illustrated the co-ver'block has inner channels41 and 42 for accommodating the cross strips 19 and 22 respectively.

I have provided convenient and quick acting means for holding the coverin `place upon the base block. These consist of spring catches 45 whichare secured to the base block and are adapted to fit over the beadings46 formed at the lateral edges of the cover. The co-operative relationis bestshown in Fig. 4.

From the foregoing it will be evident that I have produced a mostsimple, compact and practical structure. The parting sheet 15 forms -aneffective insulation between the bus bars and the screw sockets withtheir respective connector strips 19, 22. There is no danger of shortcircuiting and yet the partition sheet is of simple design and may beentirely formed by punching. When once inserted the fuse plugs will besecurely retained and when the parts are all assembled the liveparts areall eectuallyv enclosed, thus protecting workmen and others agamstaccidental shock by coming in contact with them.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is: 4 h

l. A panelboard having an insulating base block having channels runninglengthwise for accommodating bus bars, a cover block of insulatingmaterial co-ext'ensive with the base block and adapted to form a unitwith it, said cover block having transverse channels together withapertures adapted to overlie the channels in the base block and in linewith the channels in the cover block, screw sockets in the apertures inthe cover block, and terminal strips electrically connected to saidscrew sockets and Y extending to the sides of the unit along thechannels in the cover block.

2. A panelboard for electric distribution having units consisting of twoblocks of insulating material anda parting sheet lying between them, oneof the blocks having channels for accommodating the bus bars, and screwsockets overlying the partin sheet and provided with conductors adaptedto be connected to the consumption circuits, the second block havingapertures for accommodating said screw sockets and for permitting screwplugs 'to penetrate the upper 100 block to reach the screw sockets, theparting sheet having apertures at the center of the screw socket throughwhich the center contacts of the plugs may reach the bus bars.

3. In a panelboard for electric distribu- 105 tion, a unit having aninsulating base block which is channeled for accommodating -the busbars, a cover block of insulating material adapted to overlie the baseblock and having screw sockets, a parting sheet lying between 110 saidblocks, binding posts' at the side of the base block, electricallyconnected to the respective sockets above the parting sheet, the coverblock being apertured to accommodate the sockets and thev parting sheethav- 115 ing apertures overlying the bus bars and concentric with thescrew sockets for enabling the center contacts of the screw plugs toelectrically engage the bus bars.

4. In a panelboard for electric distribu- 120' tion, a base and a coverblock of insulating material, and a parting sheet of insulating materialbetween them, the base block having channels for accommodating thel .busbars, screw sockets, connector strips permanently connected to the screwsockets and havmg means at their outer ends for electric connection withthe consumption conductors, saidvconnectors and socketsoverly- 111g theparting strip and having oiset no prongs for netrating the arting sheetand engaging t e back thereo for holding the strlps vand sockets inposition upon the parting sheet.

5. In a panelboard for electric distribution, bus bars, a base block anda cover block of insulating material, the base block being channeled foraccommodating the bus bars, a continuous parting sheet overlying thebase block, screw sockets overlyin the arting sheet and being therebyinsuxted rom the bus bars, said' screw sockets having means for electricconnection to the consumption conductors at the lateral edges of `thepanelboard, the cover block being apen' tured to accommodate the screwsockets land the parting sheet being apertured at the center of thescrew sockets for accommodating the center contacts of the screw plugs,said parting sheet being spaced in front of the bus bars and beingmoderately resilient to thereby afford frictional e agement with thescrew plugs to yieldingly oldthem against rotation.

6. A panelboard consisting of a base block of insulating material havinglongitudinal channels in the front for accommodating bus bars, acontinuous sheet of semiexible insulating material adjacent to the frontsurface of the base block, transverse conductor stri s fastened to theblock and extending in ront of the sheet for holdingy the latter uponthe block, screw sockets secured to the respective cross strips in frontyof the bus bar channels, and a cover block adapted to be secured to thefront of the base block, said cover block having apertures foraccommodating said screw sockets.

In Witness whereof,` I havehereunto subscribed my name.

HEnMoN L. VAN VALKENBURG.

